What makes the tongue of chameleon so powerful?  

We all know chameleons for their amazing capacity to camouflage by changing colours. But did you know this reptile has another astonishing feature? We are talking about its tongue. Yes, a chameleon’s tongue is unlike any other because it helps catch its prey in a unique way. It is faster than a fighter jet and twice the length of its body! The sticky ends of the tongue aid in trapping the prey and are essential to their survival. But how does the tongue move so quickly? And how does it strike? Read on to find out. 

The fast and powerful tongue!  
Chameleons can not only blend in with their surroundings to camouflage but also unleash a supersonic weapon: Their tongue. But do you know at what speed chameleons can roll their tongue out? Well, their tongues can go from 0 to 60 mph in one-hundredth of a second! To put things in perspective, that is faster than a fighter jet! They have nature’s fastest and strongest tongues, capable of reaching a target twice their body length away, in an instant. This makes them experts in planning surprise attacks! 

Planning attacks faster than a fighter jet 
According to researchers, a chameleon’s tongue has a bone at its core and 10–15 layers of elastic muscle tissue. These tissues, made of collagen, a protein with stretchy and spring-like fibres, allow chameleons to protrude their tongue with force.  

But how does the tongue achieve such incredible lengths? Well, it is all thanks to the retractable muscle mechanism, by which it can extend in a straight line rather than in a roll! This is how it functions. When a chameleon spots a prey, it takes its position and loads the tongue by forming a tight coil. Surprisingly, all this happens when its mouth is shut. And once it opens its mouth, the tongue shoots out faster than a fighter jet! The sticky end of the tongue slams onto the prey, capturing it in one-hundredth of a second! The chameleon tongue has intrigued several scientists! For example, researchers at the University of Oxford have even devised a mathematical equation to demonstrate its speed and effectiveness. Fascinating, right? 

Smaller the size, the more powerful the tongue 
According to a study conducted at Brown University in Rhode Island, smaller species of chameleons are capable of more powerful and faster tongue actions. The smallest chameleon species has an incredible speed of 2.59 metres per second! What about its strength? It’s equally enthralling. The tongue’s power was measured to be 14.040 watts per kilogram! When it comes to length, the smaller chameleons have longer tongues as compared to larger chameleon species. One reason for this could be that the smaller chameleons need more food than the larger ones to keep up with their metabolism. Hence, they have tongues that can stretch further than larger chameleons. 

Inventions mimicking a chameleon tongue 
The ‘fast and furious’ action of the chameleon’s tongue has inspired inventions throughout history! Festo, a robotics team based in the US developed a device that can mimic the speed and power of a chameleon to help pick up objects. The device, called the Festo gripper, is made of an elastic silicone cap that can conform to the target object. It can even pick up and hold multiple items at the same time! The incredible tongue has also inspired innovations in ballistics and missiles, as well as in prosthetic medical devices.  

Now, did you ever wonder if a tongue could be so versatile?!